Australian Foreign Policy - Assignment Example

Australian Foreign Policy Australian Foreign Policy 1 Question 1: 1 Western players: 1 Middle Powers: 2 Regional Players: 2 Country Apart: 2 Question 2: 3 Question 3: 4 Question 4: 5 Question 5: 6 Question 6: 6 Question 7: 7 Question 8: 8 Question 9: 9 Question 10: 10 Reference: 11 Question 1: In relation to the foreign policy, the countries in the world today can be divided into various categories depending on their political, ideological and economical inclinations. These include categories such as western country, middle powers, regional players, country apart. In the following answer each of these will be clearly defined and their roles in the global politics be specified. Western players: This is in relation to the countries of the European continent as well the American polity. These countries were mainly colonial powers and have been powerful through out history. In the post second world war period this got group got amalgated, as the ones who supported the US. It includes the US, UK, France and others. Middle Powers: This group includes countries that are not super powers but they are also not under developed or developing in nature. They have a moderate amount of influence in the international arena. Regional Players: A regional player is a term that is used in the international relations arena to describe countries which are powerful and influential in the area. They are usually countries which have a certain amount of leverage over the other nation states in the regions that they are situated in. This would include countries such as India, China, and Japan in Asia, Germany, and Italy in Europe and so on (Ankerl, G). Country Apart: This is usually used to describe a country which is isolated. This can be interpreted in a number of ways, be it economically, ideologically, geographically or in other ways. It can be observed that in the case of Australia, these all hold true, it is a part of the Western players as it is closely related to the ideologies that are conformed to by the western countries, and is a middle power in the international arena. Also it is a regional played in the southern hemisphere and is a country apart in the context of geographical isolation. Question 2: Australia is a strong country economically and politically, but only in moderate terms. It is a part of the globalized world and due to this is highly dependent on a number of nations in various economic matters. This holds true in the context of the Asian continent also. There has to be realized that the Australia as a country cannot function in isolation and is dependent on the Asian countries in relation to economic and cultural coordination. For example, the country has close relations with Japan and in fact Japan is Australia’s third biggest trading partner. It also has strong diplomatic relations with Indonesia, India, Japan, Singapore and others. It is not only important for the trade relations, but the country is also dependent on them for the transfer of machinery. Also the country depends on them for their foreign exchange earnings and for cooperative scientific cooperative programs. The country is also closely in sync with various countries politically, with relations getting really warm with nations like Indonesia, Japan and Thailand in the past few years. There has been observed that the country has run into trouble with its Asian counter parts in the recent times including the countries of India, Japan, China and others (Drysdale P, Findlay C 2008). The issue with India received international attention due to the fact the attacks that were taking place in the continent were racial in character. Thus, there has to be realized that although some scholars believe that Australia will be moving away from the Asian continent, it is in fact not a possibility, either socially, politically or economically. Question 3: There has been observed that the Australian has in the recent times run into trouble with the Asian countries over a number of issues, including the problem of racist attacks on Indian students in the continent and other problems. There have also been problems with Singapore, Japan, Indonesia and China. The Rudd government before coming to power had been very enthusiastic about Australia’s relation with Asia, but since coming to power it has made the relations with the Asian countries more strained. The government has tried to ensure that these can be rectified through meetings, and has even extended aid to Indonesia. The government today needs to solidify its relations through diplomatic meets. One of the major causes of concern has been the attack on foreign students and the killings on the continent. There has to be realized that it is only through taking certain positive decisive steps that the country will be able to overcome this hurdle. Also the government has conducted a number of diplomatic meetings in the past to ensure that the other problems and conflicts can be diplomatic settled. These include the meetings with the Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in March 2010, and the visit of the Indonesian president visiting the continent in March 2010 (Lee J 2010). It is only through cooperative action that the Rudd government can ensure that the political and economic relations with the countries of the Asian continent are stabilized and strengthened for the betterment and advancement of the interests of the Australian country. Question 4: The environment is becoming more and more important in the world today, as it has been realized that the resources that are available to men are limited, and therefore there is today felt a need to ensure that the resources are utilized in a sufficient and sustainable manner. Sustainability is an important factor in the world today, and there are various theories that are being developed by environmentalists to ensure that the development that is pursued by men is sustainable in nature. All the countries are today caught in the struggle of realizing their interests in the best possible method which is also environmental friendly (Foreign Relations, Online). This is one of the main reasons why the country of Australia is developing energy resources which are environmental friendly in nature. Thus, there can be observed that the direct connection that exists between the environment and resources cannot be ignored by the political will of a country. There have been theories that have been developed that support the fact that in practical usage when applied by governments will help secure more eco-friendly and sustainable methods for production. This is the reason why most of the scholars are of the belief that the issue that relates to the environment will play a major part of the domestic as well as the foreign policy of the nation in the future. This is clearly reflected in the role that was played by the Australian diplomat at the Copenhagen meet that was held in the year of 2010 in relation to the climatic problems that are facing the global community. Question 5: The politics of foreign aid has been a part of the history of the country since the end of the Second World War. Earlier the country usually undertook these foreign aid programs in relation with other nations or agencies such as the OCED and the UN. The aid that the country provided was mainly for developing countries to help ensure that they could progress and that these nations could embrace modernity. There has been observed that in the recent times there has been a fall in the foreign aid that is provided by the country. The foreign aid that is provided by the country is only a little over 1 percent of the GDP of the nation, with Papua New Guinea as its biggest foreign aid receiptant. The Simons Review that was undertaken in the year of 1966 adopted the single objective that the aid program of the country would advance Australia’s national interest by assisting developing countries to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development (Foreign Aid). The Government decided that Papua New Guinea, the Pacific and East Asia would continue to be high priorities for Australian assistance. The fall has been in sync with this but there is today felt a need to increase the foreign aid that is provided by the country so that the role of the country in the international forum can be better secured. It has to be realized this is important as it is only through the increase of the foreign aid that the can realize its aims. Question 6: The economic interests of a nation have always been an important factor that affects the foreign policy of a nation. There has to be realized that the foreign policy of a nation is the result of the aims and objectives of the nation in relation to other nation states. It has to be realized that the role that is played by the nation states are usually to forward the interests of the country. The economic needs of the country are one of the primary factors that affect the foreign policy of a nation. It has been observed that the role that the economic interests of Australia have had in the past in relation to other countries has affected the relations that they share with them. For example, the country has always had a close relation with Japan, with which it shares a very strong economic relations including trade, commerce, foreign investment and defense cooperative developments (Terada J 2010). History reflects that the allies that a country maintains in the international forum are based on the economic interests of the country in the global community. During the cold war years the Australian polity was allied to the western block, this was due to the fact that the polity of Australia was closely in sync with the American and the British economies in the global forum. Thus, there has to be realized that the shaping of the foreign policy of the country will in the future will also be affected by the economic interests of the country. This fact is only enhanced by the fact that the global communities today marked by a distinctive globalized economic order, where no country can exist in isolation. Question 7: There has been observed that there has been an increase in the investments that are made by the Chinese in the markets of Australia. This has proven to be a cause of concern for a number of scholars, economists and foreign policy developers in Australia. Many are of the belief that the changes that have cone about in the past year are due to the fact that the energy market of the Australian economy has stabilized and this is one of the main factors that are attracting foreign investments in the country. The changes that have occurred in the investment sector have caused confusion and raised security tensions in the nation. There is today a debate in the country as to whether the government should allow these Chinese investments in the Australian economy to continue (Ayson R 2010). There has to be realized that there is today felt a need for governmental intervention in the matter. The government of the country has to look into the matter, and ensure that there is initiated government-to-government arrangements for routine consultation between Australian and Chinese authorities that would serve to facilitate scrutiny of competition, corporate governance, and financial transparency issues and have the practical effect of strengthening that framework over time. Thus, the need for a limitation is felt by many but this has to be conducted in a cautionary manner to ensure that there is space for the economy to grow while the integrity and security of the Australian energy and resource markets are maintained in the long run. Question 8: There has to be realized that the global era today is very distinctive from what that existed in the world at the time of the Second World War. With these words in mind there has to be realized that the security of the nation and the national interests are one of the most important aims of the foreign policy of a nation (Australia’s National Security intelligence service, Online). There has to be realized that in the world today the security program that is developed and maintained by a nation has to look at the global scenario, especially given the development of global terrorism as a major threat to peace and security. Therefore, there has to be realized that the security system that is developed by a country in today’s day and age has to be in relation to the world and not just the region. There has to be realized that the role that the coastal security plays is important in the maintenance of security in the nation. The role of nuclear security can be observed in the fact that the defense cooperation program that Australia has developed in the past few years with Japan. Thus, the regional role of security is taking a back seat in face of the global threats that all nations feel but there has to be realized that this does not negate the importance of regional security but just extends it to a larger picture. Question 9: The alliance that exists between Australia and America has always been a close one, where the two have fought on the same side in both the World wars, and in fact the role that America played in the development of the Australian economy cannot be denied (Buzan B 2004). There have been some concerns over the close relation that have existed between the two nations and some believe that the close association with America has left Australia a little exposed in this part of the world. But the effects of the association have been positive in more than one aspect. Economically speaking, the association has helped the Australian country develop, especially after the adoption of the Australia US Free Trade Agreement which was concluded in the year of 1951. There have also been developed a strong relations between the two over the defense issues. In fact there it has been observed that the defense that has been developed in the country in the post Second World War period has been developed with the help of the aid that was provided by America. During the cold war period Australia was clearly aligned with the US group and was a part of the western allies. This increases Australia's ability to protect itself and its interests by providing access to world-leading defense hardware and technologies, access to training courses and combined exercises, and to vital intelligence capabilities. The association with America has been positive in almost all aspects for the Australian nation state in the long run. Question 10: The Australian country has always had close relations with the western powers. Even though it was colonized by the British powers it was never exploited by it in the way the other nations were. The country has always had close relations with the western powers be it economically, ideologically or politically. There has to be realized that this has helped the nation develop into a strong economic power which is stable and has a democratic liberal political system based on equality in place as a heritage of its colonial past and its close relation with the west. The Australian country has always shared a close alliance with the west where it has inherited its political system from its colonial powers. In fact the close alliance that exists between Australia during the cold war period was natural given the similarities in the political system and the economic order. The economy of the country has always been dependent on the west for trade and investment and the bond that the Australian polity shares with the west is strong ideologically, economically and politically. There has to be realized that the role that has been played by the great and powerful friends (that is the UK, US, and other western allies) has been invaluable in the development of the Australian country in achievement of what it has today. The nation should continue to pursue this favorable relation in the future to secure its defensive and economic security in the global era. Reference: Ankerl, G: Coexisting contemporary civilizations: Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western, INU societal research, Vol.1 Australia’s National Security intelligence service, accessed at http://www.asio.gov.au/About-ASIO/Overview.html on June 7, 2010 Ayson R 2010: Australia’s real problem is China, accessed at http://www.asianz.org.nz/our-work/track-2/opinions-essays/china-australia on June 7, 2010 Buzan B 2004: The US and the great powers, Cambridge publication, UK Polity Press Drysdale P, Findlay C 2008: Chinese investment in Australian resources, East Asia Forum Foreign Aid, accessed at http://australianpolitics.com/foreign/aid/ on June 7, 2010 Foreign Relations, accessed at http://www.study-australia.com/?id=219 on June 7, 2010 Lee J 2010: Indonesia president offers Australian PM Rudd chance for redemption, The Jakarta Post. Terada J 2010: Okada’s lost opportunity for a new Australia Japan Partnership, East Asia Forum. US Department of the State: Australia, accessed at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2698.htm#foreign on June 7, 2010 Read More